n. a familiar name for a person (often a shortened version of a person's given name)

n. a descriptive name for a place or thing

v. give a nickname to

Etymologies

Middle English neke name, from a neke name, alteration of an eke name : eke, addition (from Old English ēaca; see aug- in Indo-European roots) + name, name; see name.

(American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)

Middle English nekename ("nickname"), alteration (due to an incorrect division of the words an ekename as a nekename) of previous ekename ("nickname"), from eke ("also, additional") + name ("name"). Compare Old Norse aukanafn ("nickname") and Low German Ökelname, Ekelname ("nickname"). (Wiktionary)

Examples

Oshirina: This Japanese nickname is a word coined from "oshiri" (butt) and "Rina", the first name of actress/model Rina Akiyama.

"Nickname comes from an Old English expression, an eke name. Eke meant 'also'. It was your 'other' name. Over time, the n of an got transferred to the beginning of eke. An eke became a neke. The pronunciation changed, and the spelling, and eventually we get the modern word."-By Hook or By Crook by David Crystal, p 92